It's primary voting day in Alabama and other states; more question the swap-and-release of Bergdahl: Political chatterFormer Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin at New toms outlet store online Hope High School on May 21, 2014. Tuesday elections could test the strength of her endorsement.Bob Gathany

It's primary election day.

Are you excited? Make sure to get out and vote.

A number of states will have primary elections today. .

The key race in Alabama is not statewide but in the Birmingham area. seeking to replace U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills.

The hot race with national implications is next door to Alabama, . Cochran was first elected in 1978, and McDaniel, relying on the tea party and Sarah Palin, wants to retire Cochran. It could be a test of the tea party and Palin's endorsement strength.

Swapping prisoners

President Barack Obama's swap of five Taliban prisoners for an American prisoner of war in Afghanistan continues to be controversial.

On Monday, the Washington Post questioned why the father of the POW, Bob Bergdahl, tweeted to tiny toms a Taliban operative, .

DELETED TWEET: Working to free ALL Guantanamo prisoners tweet from account released soldier s father deleted

slone (@slone)

The release has also riled Republicans on Capitol Hill, who say it was illegal. The president is supposed to give Congress 30 days notice about such transfers.

after President Obama unilaterally imposed new rules that will complicate operations at power plants that use coal.

The Times focused on this year's U.S. Senate race in Kentucky between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, and Alison Lundergan Grimes, a Democrat. Grimes has already criticized her party's chief for proposing the rules.

The coal plants are expected to slash 30 percent of their emissions from 2005 levels, by 2030.

.

The Chamber believes the annual regulations will cost billion a year, almost trillion by 2030. . Those are average annual losses, until 2030.

If you wondered why Alabama's Public Service Commission candidates were attacking Obama and EPA policies in primary TV ads, this is why.

The 2014 elections will be, in many states, about power cheap toms and how it is generated.

Political Chatter is AL.com's morning wrap-up of notable national news.